HICHEM

Darkest Dungeon wastes no time plunging players into a mood of doom and gloom. But that’s one of the reasons to love it. You control a party of adventurers who trudge into the depths of a dungeon, taking on enemies in turn-based battles as you go. Randomness plays a large role in the game, so you can never settle into a comfortable rhythm. The class system is nicely varied, making it rewarding to try different party combinations. Each character has a unique set of moves, some of which need to be unlocked and all of which can be upgraded. What moves they can use depend on where they’re positioned in the party line. For a game that might look simple on the outside, these overlapping systems add a great deal of complexity. And with the difficulty level so high, winning always feels rewarding.

Good player and he Respect Rules GL.

Like previous prototype shots, we can see there is a clear visual link between the new EV and the latest 3 Series, as the i4 will share much of its design with the upcoming 4 Series Gran Coupé. However, a side-on view reveals that the new car appears higher off the ground (both in terms of roof height and ground clearance) than today's 4 Series, suggesting a raised floor to accommodate a sizeable long-range battery. Other tell-tale signs that this is the i4 include blanked-off front grilles, fake 'exhausts' in the disguise, and legally mandated 'electric test vehicle' stickers. The Tesla Model 3 rival is due to arrive by 2021 and is part of BMW's rapid expansion to its dedicated range of electric-powered i models in the next few years. OUR VERDICT BMW 4 Series BMW 4-series The facelifted BMW 4 Series has improved on an already solid proposition but can it hold off the likes of the latest generation Audi A5 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé? Find an Autocar car review Driven this week Volkswagen Arteon 2018 long-term review hero front 5 FEBRUARY 2019 FIRST DRIVE Volkswagen Arteon long-term review Is this a shrewd, lower-cost route to sleek four-door luxury motoring? Let’s... Kia Ceed 2018 long-term review - hero front 4 FEBRUARY 2019 FIRST DRIVE Kia Ceed 2019 long-term review The latest Ceed is the best yet. But is it now good enough to be a real... Volvo V60 Cross Country 2019 first drive review - hero front 1 FEBRUARY 2019 FIRST DRIVE Volvo V60 Cross Country 2019 review Cross Country model brings extra ride height, all-wheel drive and off-road... The i4 is scheduled to be built on the same line as standard 3 Series models at BMW's factory in Munich. To ensure a smooth production process with existing petrol, diesel and hybrid models, the German car maker is already running assembly tests with pre-production versions. The expansion of the EV i sub-brand follows a ruling by the EU to enforce a fleet average CO2 emission reduction of 35% for 2030. The ruling effectively spells an end to the combustion engine as a sole source of propulsion for high-volume cars sold in Europe by the end of the next decade, and was expected by BMW’s top management. BMW iX3 electric SUV spotted in near-production guise Company bosses initiated an acceleration in the development of both long-range plug-in hybrids and pure-electric models in a board meeting held earlier this year. Speaking to Autocar at the 2018 Paris motor show, BMW chairman Harald Krüger confirmed the altered i division plan, which aims to enable the German car maker to offer more pure-electric cars than any premium brand rival in the short term. It calls for the introduction of up to five dedicated i models by the end of 2021, with tentative steps to expand to 12 electric-powered models within the whole of the BMW Group, including Mini and Rolls-Royce, by 2025. Among the models at the centre of BMW’s electrification strategy is a further developed version of the continuously evolving i3, an all-electric Mini, the BMW iX3 SUV and the all-new i4. BMW will follow that with a more advanced range of premium electric cars boasting solid-state battery technology and autonomous driving features, previewed with the latest iNext concept. Whereas the i3, Mini Cooper E and iX3 will be familiar designs, Krüger has described the i4 as a direct Tesla Model 3 rival. Sources have suggested it will be based on a modified platform from the new second-generation 4 Series – itself similar to the CLAR structure that underpins the new 3 Series – and the latest spy pictures appear to bear this out. The i4 is set to draw heavily on the design of the four-door i Vision Dynamics concept revealed at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show. Krüger said it will have a range of up to 435 miles and “redefine what is possible today for 0-62mph times”. Krüger also said: “The leading factors that will set it apart are fantastic design, which is very different to anything else on the road, and the fact that it is lighter and therefore more dynamic than anything we see on the market today, thanks to the materials we will use. Couple that with the connectivity technology we are constantly developing and we are confident it will lead the market.” Sources suggest BMW is considering two drivetrain options for the i4. The first uses a front-mounted electric motor in combination with a fixed-ratio gearbox and an electric propeller shaft to channel drive to the rear wheels. This layout would give the i4 traditional BMW traits and, according to one source, the best possible weight distribution. The second, and more costly, option is to use two electric motors: one driving the front wheels and a second within the rear axle assembly driving the rear wheels. Similar to the system that’s set to appear on the iX3, it offers the choice between front- and four-wheel drive, depending on the drive mode that is selected. To achieve performance targets similar to those of the current 335d, BMW is banking on a total output for the electric motor set-up of the i4, whether as a single unit or dual units front and rear, of approximately 350bhp. To meet the landmark EU ruling on required fleet CO2 emissions for 2030, Krüger has given not only the green light for 12 pure-electric models but also 25 plug-in hybrids by 2025. BMW's electric revolution begins in the sales charts BMW’s sales of electrified models have increased rapidly in the past two years. In January 2017, it registered 5232 plug-in vehicles globally, but that figure had more than doubled to 13,271 by December. The company has registered on average more than 10,000 electrified models a month in 2018. These registrations are more significant viewed as a percentage of BMW’s total sales figures. In January 2017, this was an unremarkable 3.2%, but in August 2018, it was 6.7%. Surprisingly, the most po[CENSORED]r plug-in BMW Group model in 2017 was the all-electric i3 – a car that has been in showrooms since 2013 and failed to meet targets for many of its years on sale. A total of 31,482 were registered in 2017, nearly double the number in 2014. Despite this, BMW still has a long way to go to achieve its 2020 target of 500,000 electrified vehicles sold annually.

The fire was brought under control in the early hours of Tuesday morning Ten people including a baby have died in a fire at an eight-storey building in south-western Paris, fire service officials say. More than 30 people - including six firefighters - were injured. One person is in a serious condition. Fifty people were evacuated by ladders from the blaze in the upmarket 16th arrondissement. The Paris prosecutor says it may have been deliberately started. Police have detained a female suspect. French President Emmanuel Macron said that the country "had woken up to tragedy", and praised the fire services for their courage. Rue Erlanger is a residential street close to the Parc des Princes soccer stadium. How did people escape? The fire started on the second floor and spread across the 1970s building on Erlanger street shortly after 01:00 (00:00 GMT), forcing some residents to scramble on to nearby rooftops to escape the flames and smoke. An eyewitness at the scene told France Télévision: "The fire alarm went off at 00:30, a little after midnight, and smoke was everywhere already. I live on the eighth floor, the top floor, so I tried to pass from balcony to balcony to get away, And then we huddled up in a corner. Other people climbed up to where I was to escape the flames." About 250 firefighters were deployed to the scene, not far from the Bois de Boulogne park, helping to rescue those trapped on the roofs. Pictures showed flames coming from the top floor windows and firefighters in breathing apparatus scaling ladders to reach residents. "When we arrived, we were faced with an apocalyptic situation. Lots of people were calling for help from the windows", the spokesman said. Six firefighters are among the injured, reports French broadcaster BFMTV. The fire is one of the deadliest Paris has seen in years The fire was brought under control after a five-hour operation, but the death toll could still increase, a fire service spokesman told the AFP news agency. Firefighters said the building's courtyard acted as a funnel, helping the flames to spread from the lower to the upper floors. Surrounding buildings in the area have been evacuated as a precaution. Town hall officials have been tasked with finding alternative accommodation. What do we know of the suspect? An investigation has been opened into the criminal charge of causing death by arson, AFP reports. French media say the woman is suspected of trying to set fire to a car parked near the building after a row with a neighbour. It was not immediately known what had caused the fire Paris Prosecutor Rémy Heitz said the suspect was known to psychiatric services. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has sent her condolences to the victims, and is on her way to the site, along with Interior Minister Christophe Castaner. Just a few weeks earlier, four people were killed after a huge blast at a bakery in the centre of the city. At the scene of the tragedy Hugh Schofield, BBC News Paris This is a well-to-do apartment building in an affluent neighbourhood. Other recent, deadly fires in Paris have been in poor, overcrowded areas where safety norms have clearly being ignored. By mid-morning the fire had been extinguished and normal life was resuming. Sounds of children playing came from a schoolyard next door. The building is on an inner courtyard, so from outside there was no sign at all of the anguish and the drama. Firefighters were widely praised for saving 50 people from the building But groups of people were milling about, residents from neighbouring buildings who have been told to leave their homes. They wanted to know when they could go back. The occasional witness arrived who saw it all: the screaming, the flames, the people on seventh-floor window ledges staring into the void. They said they wouldn't ever forget.

The humble train simulator has been around for almost as long as there’s been PC simulation games, and while the latest iteration of Train Simulator is the traditional choice, Train Sim World offers something a mite more ambitious – and it’s by the same developer, Dovetail Games, so fans of one should appreciate the other. It’s certainly the most realistic train sim game around – for example, you can’t even leave the station without priming the battery first. The whole game’s played in first-person, so all the driving, management, and upkeep is done from the ground level – just as if you were serving and running the train yourself. The whole point of simulation games is to make you feel like you’re actually doing the job, and Train Sim World does that better than any other – as we found while documenting our Train Sim World travel diary adventures. While it started off a little bare-bones when it released, Dovetail has consistently updated the game with new features, trains, routes, weather, and more. There’s also an array of DLC packs, too. It may all be a bit pricey for some, but the option to expand is there if you find yourself tiring of the same routes, and you certainly won’t be able to find a more in-depth and realistic train sim for your money.

The King of Handheld gaming systems first laid its groundwork with the Gameboy in 1989, but now bursts on the scenes of 2017 with the Nintendo 3DS XL. The dual-screen portable handheld system boasts real 3D capabilities, a library of over 1,224 games, and is backward compatible with Nintendo DS games. Nintendo has come along way from its eight-bit handheld Gameboy system to its now robust and powerful face-tracking, 3D-capable, Wi-Fi-enabled Nintendo 3DS XL system. It can play local and online multiplayer, so you and other 3DS owners around the world or in the neighborhood can play games such as Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart 7. The Nintendo 3DS XL measures 1.5 x 7.1 x 5.1 inches, weighs 1.1 pounds and comes in a variety of unique colors.

Battlefield has been a franchise that focuses on war outside of America but within Battlefield Hardline, gamers get a taste of the war on crime. Instead of the military setting, the game has players becoming a thieving criminal or a member of the police Special Response Unit. Gamers will race through the busy streets in game modes that include heists, rescue missions, standard deathmatches, and even a makeshift capture the flag mode called Hotwire.

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Most RPGs center around adventurers in a fantasy world. Freedom Force, on the other hand, is about superheroes in a modern setting. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this game is the combat. Each of your four heroes has unique moves, but they can also interact with the urban environment. Parked cars can be hoisted and hurled at enemies. Light posts can be pulled out of the ground and swung like baseball bats. And while the combat takes place in real time by default, you can pause at any time to issue instructions to your party. Freedom Force is a stylish game that oozes charm and originality at every turn.

Since it was launched 21 years ago, in 1998, its design has barely changed so that today even an old £1500 example looks like a more expensive, later model. It’s so reliable that one dealer has stopped selling anything else and devoted himself to it, saving, he says, a fortune in workshop bills. It loses little money as the high prices of late-plate versions prove (at least until the new model establishes itself and used ones become available) and it costs peanuts to run. Finally, if off-roading is important to you, thanks to its light weight, short entry and departure angles, separate chassis and high and low four-wheel-drive ratios, it can pretty much keep up with a Land Rover Defender. Prices for leggy Jimnys start at around £1200. Stretch to £3500 and you’ll bag a 2006 car in good nick with 80,000 miles. Prices go all the way to £16,000 for fully loaded, last-of-the-line 2018 cars. These prices and comments refer to hard-roof versions in five-speed manual and four-speed automatic form, by the way. They were built in Japan and are as solid as a rock. Not so the soft-top version. It was built in Spain for the rental market and to a much lower standard. It sounds like one of those rumours pedalled by someone with a field of hard-top Jimnys to shift but at least one specialist bitten once too often by a soft-top Jimny won’t buy them for stock, selling only those he gets in part-exchange. The problem is that because they’re a soft-top, they’re often priced at least as high as standard Jimnys despite being more expensive to tax and insure, and probably in need of a new roof (about £500 plus fitting). Throughout its life, the Jimny was powered by a 1.3-litre petrol engine. From launch, it had just 78bhp, but in 2005, it was replaced by one producing 83bhp and with variable valve timing (VVT) for a broader spread of torque. You feel its benefit in more relaxed motorway cruising and better low-speed pick-up off road but the gains are marginal. Early or later engine, all versions of the Jimny sit on an old-school, ladder-frame chassis and put their power down via a proper selectable four-wheel drive system offering a choice of high and low ratios, as well as rear drive only. You may prefer to change gears yourself but don’t dismiss an automatic Jimny. It’s a tough gearbox and its smoother changes make for calmer, more relaxed progress. Anything that counters the little car’s choppy ride has to be good. Until 2009, the dominant trim level was JLX (roof rails, electric windows and mirrors). From 2009, badging was changed to today’s more familiar SZ3 and SZ4, the latter with alloy wheels, air-con and part-leather trim. Options included a sat-nav and a reversing camera. Nice to have but better still is the car they’re fitted to. An expert’s view Will Chappell, director, Cotswold Jimnys: “We started the business 32 years ago selling all sorts of 4x4s but changed exclusively to Jimnys seven years ago when we realised they were the only model that didn’t cost us anything in the workshop. We’ve since sold upwards of 700. Unless they come in as a part-exchange, we don’t touch the soft-top because the quality is terrible. Otherwise, at all years, a Jimny is very reliable and cheap to run. Just make sure you rustproof the chassis.” Buyer beware… Engine The early 1.3 uses a belt that should be changed at 70,000 miles. The engine works hard so listen for camshaft noise and check around the filler for water and oil emulsion, a clear sign of head gasket failure. On older cars, check the condition of coolant hoses and the radiator for leaks. Faulty crank, intake and exhaust sensors will cause the engine to misfire and lose power. Transmission The four-speed auto is generally trouble-free. The manuals are tough but hard work can cause the occasional synchro problem. A worn clutch release bearing may squeal on engagement. On cars little used to running in four-wheel drive, the system can need coaxing back to life. On older cars, the vacuum hoses to the front hubs can perish. Suspension and brakes Check for broken springs, leaky dampers, perished bushes and scored brake discs. The ‘death wobble’ It can suffer so-called ‘death’ or wheel wobble at around 50mph caused by any number of problems, including worn kingpins, wheel bearings and CV joints, or simply poor wheel balancing. Chassis and body Rust is generally surface and rarely terminal but check joints and mountings for perforation. Check behind plastic body mouldings and under the bonnet for rust caused by trapped mud and water. Interior Early cloth seats are likely to have burst but otherwise the interior is surprisingly tough and control and switch issues are rare. Also worth knowing Want to boost your Jimny’s off-roading capability but spend most of your time on-road? Invest in a good set of off-road rubber. BF Goodrich is the best known but cheaper tyres from £70 are just as good. How much to spend £1250-£2450: Hard-top Jimnys with high mileages. £2500-£3450: Up to 2007 but mileages as low as 60k and many with full history. £3500-£4995: More low-mileage 2006-08 cars. £5000-£6450: Good choice of 2008-on cars with very low mileages £6500-£8450: Up to 2013-reg SZ4s in good condition. £8500-£10,450: More 2012-14 low-mileage cars. £10,500 and higher: Good choice of late ’n’ low cars. One we found Suzuki Jimny 1.3 JLX, 2003/03, 50K miles, £2600 Private-sale Jimny with two previous owners and full service history. Rear springs replaced recently. Comes with two spare wheels. Also has a towbar, so check the gearbox and head gasket for signs of strain. Always been garaged. Seller says it’s “extremely reliable.”

Guaido supporters rallied in Caracas on Saturday The UK, France, Germany, Spain and other European countries have officially recognised opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela. It comes after President Nicolás Maduro defiantly rejected the EU's Sunday deadline to call snap elections. Mr Guaidó declared himself interim leader last month and won US backing. Russia - a backer of Mr Maduro - accused EU countries of meddling in Venezuela's affairs. As pressure mounted on Mr Maduro to step down, he said he could not rule out the possibility of civil war. In a TV interview, he warned that US President Donald Trump would leave the White House "stained with blood" if he intervened in the crisis. Mr Guaidó said on Sunday he would build an international coalition to deliver humanitarian aid to Venezuelans. What have EU countries said? Sunday saw the expiry of an ultimatum set by several European countries - including France, the UK, Austria, Germany and Spain - for Mr Maduro to call early presidential elections. They said that they would recognise Mr Guaidó as interim president if no such pledge was forthcoming. Skip Twitter post by @sebastiankurz Should Maduro not respond to the EU‘s call for free & fair presidential elections, we will acknowledge and support Juan Guaidó as President ad interim of #Venezuela. — Sebastian Kurz (@sebastiankurz) February 3, 2019 Report End of Twitter post by @sebastiankurz On Monday, the UK, Spain, Denmark, Austria, France and Sweden officially recognised Mr Guaidó as interim president. "UK alongside European allies now recognises @jguaido as interim constitutional president until credible elections can be held", Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a statement on Twitter. French President Emmanuel Macron said Venezuelans had the right to "express themselves freely and democratically", calling on Mr Guaidó to organise a fresh presidential poll. He announced his support for an EU contact group in the interim. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged him to call elections "as quickly as possible." "Venezuela should be the author of its own destiny. The international community has a duty to help and ensure that this happens with the necessary guarantees", he told reporters. On Monday, the UK, Spain, Denmark, Austria, France and Sweden officially recognised Mr Guaidó as interim president. "UK alongside European allies now recognises @jguaido as interim constitutional president until credible elections can be held", Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a statement on Twitter. French President Emmanuel Macron said Venezuelans had the right to "express themselves freely and democratically", calling on Mr Guaidó to organise a fresh presidential poll. He announced his support for an EU contact group in the interim. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged him to call elections "as quickly as possible." "Venezuela should be the author of its own destiny. The international community has a duty to help and ensure that this happens with the necessary guarantees", he told reporters. Nicolás Maduro has retained the support of the Venezuelan military But Russia slammed the statements, accusing EU countries of interfering in the Venezuela's affairs and attempting to "legitimise usurped power". What did Maduro say? Mr Maduro responded to the EU's deadline saying: "We don't accept ultimatums from anyone. It's like if I told the European Union: 'I give you seven days to recognise the Republic of Catalonia, and if you don't, we are going to take measures'. "No, international politics can't be based on ultimatums. That was the era of empires and colonies." In the interview with Spanish television programme Salvados, broadcast on Sunday, Mr Maduro was asked if the crisis in Venezuela could result in civil war. "Today no-one could answer that question with certainty," he said. "Everything depends on the level of madness and aggressiveness of the northern empire [the US] and its Western allies. Maduro: Dictator or defender of socialism? Why Venezuela's military backs Maduro Who is Juan Guaidó? "We ask that nobody intervenes in our internal affairs... and we prepare ourselves to defend our country." President Trump has told US broadcaster CBS the use of military force remains "an option". But Mr Maduro warned the US leader he risked a repeat of the Vietnam War - in which the US was involved from 1965 to 1973 - if he intervened. Hundreds of thousands of US soldiers were sent to help fight communist forces in a costly and unsuccessful war which brought domestic civil unrest and international embarrassment. "Stop. Stop. Donald Trump! You are making mistakes that are going to stain your hands with blood and you are going to leave the presidency stained with blood," he said. "Let's respect each other, or is it that you are going to repeat a Vietnam in Latin America?" What is the situation in Venezuela? Rival protests took place on the streets of Caracas on Saturday Thousands took to the streets of the capital Caracas on Saturday for protests in support of both President Maduro and Mr Guaidó. Mr Maduro retains the support of the military, but ahead of the demonstrations Mr Guaidó received a boost when an air force general - Francisco Yanez - became the highest-ranking military official yet to pledge support for him. Mr Guaidó says he has held private meetings with the military to win support for ousting Mr Maduro. He says he has also reached out to China, one of Mr Maduro's most important backers. Mr Guaidó, who is the head of Venezuela's National Assembly, declared himself president on 23 January. He says the constitution allows him to assume power temporarily when the president is deemed illegitimate. On Saturday he said protests would continue until his supporters had achieved "freedom".

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Set in the world of the Riftwar novels by Raymond E. Feist, Betrayal at Krondor is a first-person RPG that’s surprisingly open-world for a game of its vintage. You control three adventurers as you make your way through nine chapters of a fantasy story, fighting enemies, picking locks, maintaining degradable gear, and solving riddles to open Moredhel wordlock chests. Combat plays out like a turn-based strategy game, with combatants moving around on a grid to deliver strategic strikes. Make sure you bring your reading glasses, because Krondor is dense with text, which should come as no surprise considering its literary origins.

Take on the role of a Vietnam war veteran, who returns from the war only to find his hometown of New Bordeaux in control of the mob, as he picks up a gun and rises through the ranks of his own “family,” eradicating all of the gangsters in his way and plunging the city into the worst chaos it’s ever seen.

The M3 CSL is among the finest driver’s cars of all time, powered by perhaps the best straight-six engine ever made. Fifteen years on, has BMW’s performance division somehow surpassed itself in the shape of the M2 Competition? Seven-thousand-nine-hundred. In the same way today’s teenagers don’t recognise the electro-garble of an internet dial-up tone, that number is one I struggle to get my 30-year-old head around. These days we’re supposed to be impressed by mammoth torque outputs conjured barely above idle; 7900rpm is the sort of engine speed at which only six-figure flights of fancy, usually Italian, finally give up everything they’ve got. Written on the spec sheet of a relatively attainable sports coupé, it feels wrong. Sinful, even. And damn exciting. BMW’s straight six for the millennium – the 3.2-litre S54 – is one reason why prices for even enthusiastically owned examples of the E46 M3 are inexorably on the up. Other reasons include its sweet chassis and near-perfect proportions. For many, when production ended in 2006, it also was the last time the world’s archetypal driver’s car was neither too tubby nor turbocharged. The E46 M3 was der sweet spot, and in terms of pure synaptic pleasure it seems unlikely any successor will get the better of it. But what if you could exchange some of that magic for an M-car considerably quicker, truly civilised day to day and, whisper it, maybe even a bit more fun? Or, to put it another way, just how good is the new M2 Competition when your yardstick is the best there has ever been? In the interests of thoroughness, at our service is not any old E46 M3 but the hallowed M3 CSL – a lightweight special. And the M2 Comp is in full anachronism-spec, equipped not with the po[CENSORED]r dual-clutch gearbox but a proper six-speed manual. The newer car hardly needs an introduction, having only narrowly been pipped by Porsche’s astounding 911 GT3 RS at the latest rendition of Autocar’s annual celebration of the finest performance cars money can buy. The big news is that its petit form now comes with a barely detuned version of the twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight six in the M4 – the equivalent of rolling a depth charge into a bathtub. This engine makes 404bhp and drives through an electronically controlled limited-slip differential in the rear axle, which now includes race car-style rose joints. We already know that with them, the Competition addresses the intermittently nomadic rear contact patch of the now-discontinued standard M2. The result is sublime. Thing is, the CSL is what you get when you cross-breed that GT3 RS with an E46 M3. And, golly, did BMW want you to know it. The original press information talks about a track-day special at ‘the very core’ of the brand; of an ever increasing ‘weight spiral’ halted only by ‘radical measures’; of Newton’s second law, for pity’s sake. And there’s some justification for this, because the CSL’s modifications make ‘Competition’ seem nothing more than an ashtray upgrade package. There is too much to list but here’s a flavour. The rear windscreen is made of thinner glass and the roof panel is carbonfibre. A carbonfibre front air dam cuts front-end lift by half and the bonnet is aluminium, not steel. Bespoke aluminium wheels save 11kg. Power increased from 338bhp to 360bhp. The boot floor is fashioned from a ‘paper-honeycomb-sandwich’ structure – cardboard to you and me – and the through-loading assembly is glassfibre instead of steel. That last one proves just how serious M division was. In total, 110kg was chased from the chassis for a kerb weight of 1310kg – the equivalent of the current Ford Fiesta ST, plus a small child. Even on a miserably dank day, these cars look fabulous sitting side by side, 15 years but only 15bhp per tonne between them. The M2 Competition is all brawn, with a rear track 76mm wider than that of the dainty CSL. Fix it dead-on from behind and the wheel arches fan out in a manner that reminds me of Piri Weepu leading the haka. With black accents and sharp creases everywhere you care to look, this example wears its Sunset Orange hue better than I’d expected, and the colossal wheel-and-tyre package never gets any less cartoonish. It could only be the youthful reprobate of the M-division household. The CSL is nobler. It hails from a time before the kidney grille was bent on world domination. Lower but marginally longer than the M2 Comp, its dimensions exemplify the golden ratio for performance coupé design. Less clutter allows you to appreciate the unmistakable Coupé Sport Licht details. The ducktail is artful, the asymmetric air intake intriguing and the 19in wheels just perfect. This Silver Grey example, one of only 422 built in right-hand drive, is almost painfully good-looking. I’ve driven this very M3 CSL before, briefly, and admit to not particularly gelling with it. The glassfibre bucket seats – trimmed in a hardy suede substitute called Amaretta – comfortably cup your trunk at the base of the ribcage and hem your thighs in almost as cosily. Problem is there’s not enough adjustability in the column to disguise the fact they are simply set too high. We’ll come onto the M2 in a moment, but one area in which it straight away outscores the CSL is the driving position. M division’s current flag-bearer feels supercar-low by comparison and, with the ability to bring the wheel right out towards your chest, more mature. The thing about a poor driving position is that, unless it is terminally awful, very quickly you forget and forgive. This is no chore when the engine is from your dreams. It starts off placid enough. At 2500rpm, only the surgically precise pick-up – courtesy of natural aspiration and six individual throttle butterflies – gives a flavour of what is to come. By 3000rpm, when the twin-turbo M2 is surfing along on 405lb ft of torque, there’s still laughably little in the way of propulsion but a hacksaw-boom commences. The blend of gnashing valvegear – held open for longer to capitalise on the increased mass of air sucked loudly into the CSL’s carbonfibre airbox – and exhaust bellow is, if you’ll excuse the cliché, straight from the pit lane. At 4500rpm, the bass drops out, the torque kicks in and the noise begins to convalesce, simultaneously hardening, smoothing and rising in pitch. Imagine feeding marble through a wood-chipper. From 6500rpm, the crankshaft really begins to accelerate, cutting loose as the now-screaming, reprofiled double-Vanos cams get to work. Everything intensifies for a moment, and then you reach it: 7900rpm. It is spectacular. The M2 Competition can’t match that. Nothing the affordable side of a well-known 4.0-litre flat six can match that. Still, if turbocharging makes the newer S55 engine a bit one-dimensional, it also makes it deliciously tractable, not to mention massively powerful. In any gear and at any speed, the smaller-engined car will simply drive away from the CSL, despite its 240kg penalty (yes, that is rather a lot considering it is a more ‘junior’ model). So much torque also allows you to more easily work the rear-drive chassis, and it’s here that today’s inter-generational battle really starts to sizzle. On road or track, the balance of the CSL is astonishing, even if the steering ratio (quickened over that of the standard M3, from 15.4:1 to 14.5:1) still feels lazy compared with the darting M2. Admittedly, in this department both cars want a little for feel, but only in the low-slung CSL does it appear that your backside is resting on the rear differential while your hands clasp the front axle, with its widened track. Bulkier bodywork designed to meet crash standards and a better-stocked cabin mean that, for the M2, the feeling has been lost, and it’s never coming back. In the CSL, the extremities of the chassis seem to alter their trajectory as one. Unquestionably it is the more fluid chassis, though you can cover the length of a tennis court during the torque interruption prompted by an upshift from the SMG automated manual ’box. It’d be a chessboard were this Competition equipped with BMW’s latest dual-clutch ’box. But even with the slower manual (indeed, because of it), now is when the M2 begins to claw things back. The controls – pedals, steering, gearshift – might not be up to Cayman levels of precision but are sprung and weighted in beautifully holistic fashion and better involve the driver. Brake, downshift, turn, accelerate: it’s as though you’re operating an arrangement of taut, short pulleys. Individual elements of the old M3 are insurmountably good, but it isn’t as ‘together’ as the M2 Competition. And this is a mischievous chassis. The balance is more rear-biased than that of the ultra-neutral CSL but the centre of gravity is higher. Compared with the older car’s impervious dynamic cool, the firmly sprung M2 seems almost too keen to stabilise any roll, and can feel more frenetic. But it also wants to oversteer, and will do so like few others can – that is, massively but controllably, seemingly in any gear – if you loosen the ESP and uncork all that torque. It is as addictive as it sounds. So addictive, in fact, that you might miss the magic, because M’s latest ware is more subtle than that. Temper your approach, get the right combination of steering and throttle (don’t worry, it’s a big target) and rather than ‘breaking’ away, the M2 will simply raise itself up en pointe. Bliss. The yaw-damping of the CSL might be astonishingly good, and the vertical body control so sublime you don’t at first notice it, but it doesn’t live quite so happily in the dreamland between grip and slip. That’s where so much of the magic happens when you don’t have a race track at your disposal. So the M2 Comp is more fun, but the CSL is more precise and, maybe, the more rewarding car. I don’t know. It’s so close that personal preference will be the deciding factor. But to drive these coupés back to back and discover an almost identical genetic code is joyful. BMW M GmbH hasn’t always got things right of late, but today’s stars are what its cars should be all about: palpable balance, abundant but not overbearing power, control and the agility that comes with a modest footprint. And soul. Either would be a dream to own, but if I had to choose one on which to blow £55,000? With a gun to my head, it’d have to be the glorious M3 CSL. But only for seven-thousand-nine-hundred reasons. M's other magic moments BMW 3.0 CSL (1973) Batmobile’s heroic M49 straight six led it to touring car dominance, then formed the basis of the mid-mounted 3.5-litre M88 of the first road-going M-car: the M1. E36/8 M Coupé (1998) Green-lighted by the management on the basis that it could be built cheaply, M’s only shooting brake used a 317bhp engine from the M3 Evo and proved Munich had a sense of humour. Sold without driver aids. McLaren F1 (1993) Paul Rosche – BMW Motorsport’s ace engineer – designed the 618bhp S70/2 V12, ensuring BMW’s name would be forever associated with the greatest supercar ever built.

Russia has suspended its involvement in the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) following a similar decision by the US. President Vladimir Putin said Russian would start developing new missiles. On Friday, the US, which has long accused Russia of violating the treaty, formally announced it was suspending its obligations under the agreement. Signed in 1987 by the US and USSR, it banned the use of short and medium-range missiles by both countries. "Our American partners announced that they are suspending their participation in the treaty, and we are suspending it too," Mr Putin said on Saturday. "All of our proposals in this sphere, as before, remain on the table, the doors for talks are open," he added. Tensions rise as US threatens to 'take out' Russian missiles Is nuclear control set to self-destruct? Earlier on Saturday, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the BBC: "All (European) allies agree with the United States because Russia has violated the treaty for several years. They are deploying more and more of the new nuclear capable missiles in Europe." Russia has denied violating the INF accord. What is the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty? Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan signed the INF Treaty in 1987 Signed by the US and the USSR in 1987, the arms control deal banned all nuclear and non-nuclear missiles with short and medium ranges, except sea-launched weapons The US had been concerned by the Soviet deployment of the SS-20 missile system and responded by placing Pershing and cruise missiles in Europe - sparking widespread protests By 1991, nearly 2,700 missiles had been destroyed Both countries were allowed to inspect the other's installations In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the treaty no longer served Russia's interests The move came after the US withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002

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